CLASS RANK

The University of Notre Dame does not rank students by class, college, or department.

For a number of years the University ranked students by college. In 2005, when a new administrative system was installed, the University examined many past practices and considered best practices across academia. One of the outcomes was to end the practice of ranking undergraduate students. This decision was reached for two reasons: (1) It was clear that ranking students by class, department, or college/school at the end of a semester was no longer considered best practices among colleges and universities; (2) Undergraduates at the University often pursue more than one area of interest, and students are encouraged to pursue course work outside of their area of interest to diversify their academic experience. In an institution in which students' educational experiences cross department and college/school lines, class rank is not a meaningful way to represent academic achievement.

The Office of the Registrar no longer reports nor records students' rank-in-class, rank in college, nor rank in department at the end of a semester. At graduation, the University does award Latin honors to the top 30% of undergraduates by college/school. For those graduate school and/or employment requests that ask for a students' "rank," they should be completed with the statement "The University of Notre Dame does not report rank-in-class."

University of Notre Dame - Office of the Registrar
105 Main Building, Notre Dame, IN 46556
Phone: 574-631-7043    Fax: 574-631-3865
Email: registrar.1@nd.edu
Registrar Staff Contact Information
Harold L. Pace, Ph.D., University Registrar

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